There’s nothing unusual about an end table that’s made from a chunk of tree; in fact, you probably own a few yourself. Things start to get exciting, however, when you can still see the bark and count the rings to find its age! Tree decor is everywhere these days — from branch chandeliers and coat hooks to log pedestals and candle holders. When Jennifer and I saw these log side tables in Domino magazine (Ippolita’s Cigarette), we had to have one (or two or three).

The only trouble was the exorbitant $1,100 starting price. Each. (In comparison, the most expensive piece of furniture we own is the IKEA Malm bed we bought secondhand via Craigslist in Atlanta.) So we decided to do things the old-fashioned way and turn a little elbow grease and a cannibalized IKEA stool into our own log table.

The first order of business was acquiring the log. My parents burn a fair amount of wood both for grilling humongous burgers and to ward off those frigid Southern California winters. Consequently, my dad is always willing to stop for free firewood someone has put out by the curb, including this large section of downed pine they let us scavenge from their wood pile.

The next step was to cut a five inch slice of the wood for the table top. This is best accomplished with a chain saw, which is great for cutting logs but leaves the wood rough and uneven. To level out the surface, I broke out the belt sander. Belt sanders wear down wood very quickly, which makes them great for leveling uneven spots but (at least in my hands) leaves behind imperfections of their own. So after approximately leveling the surface with the belt sander, I took an orbital sander to it, beginning with 80 grit to remove the belt sander marks. I gradually increased the grit, ending with 200 to give it a nice, smooth finish.

Finally, after disposing of the resulting dust (with a rag and air compressor), I applied three coats of polyacrylic to the top for protection from nicks and liquids. I also applied clear lacquer spray to the bark on the sides for protection.

We then attached the log to the legs of an IKEA Marius stool ($5.99). For a more rustic look, we spray painted the glossy legs with flat black paint.

Your table is so pretty! We are working on one of our own, thanks to an April storm. Have you had any problems with the bark peeling? Bugs? I’d read that it was best to remove the bark, but it looks so pretty with it on. Did you treat it with anything? Thanks for any advice!

Your table is so pretty! We are working on one of our own, thanks to an April storm. Have you had any problems with the bark peeling? Bugs? I’d read that it was best to remove the bark, but it looks so pretty with it on. Did you treat it with anything? Thanks for any advice!

We didn’t have any trouble with bugs. Some of the bark has pulled away a bit on one side, though it stayed attached. The table still looks great, but who knows if one day that section will fall off! (It has been more than a year, though). Other than that, a few pieces of the bark chipped off when initially cutting the slice, but we were able to glue those back on. The only treatment we used on the bark was spraying it with a few coats of matte lacquer. That has been enough of a seal to keep it from losing tiny pieces or flaking off when touched, but wouldn’t protect it from a hard bump.

Thank you so much for this post! I’ve had a slice of cedar from an Extreme Makeover house that we volunteered on 4 years ago! I could never figure out something special to do with it. Now I know: I’m going to make a footstool for my living room.Thank you for your amazing creativity.

The bark on this particular log wouldn’t hold up well to the wear and tear of being used as a stool. If you took the bark off, I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be strong enough — it is the base of a stool underneath, after all!

Our slice isn’t quite round, and it’s about 15″ at its widest and 13″ at its narrowest. We did get one significant 3″ crack and one warped spot in the bark after a few months, but neither had much impact on the table (ie the bark didn’t fall off and the table is still sturdy). The table didn’t get any new cracks after that initial period, so if you have the time to let your wood *really* dry out before using, that’d be ideal. A few months will get any cracking out of the way before you’ve put any work into it, and then you can decide if you still want to use it for a table. Or just go for it — the little crack in ours adds character!

I can’t wait to show this to my husband. We have a log slice our daughter used as her cake stand for her wedding cake. We saved it in the hope of using it for a table someday. This would be perfect. Thanks for the idea!

We used screws to attach the wood top to the legs. The legs came with holes in them (for attaching to the stool base they came with), so we just used longer screws in those same holes. Because the wood top was sliced a bit uneven, we used washers between the legs and table top (on the screws) to level it out. Hope that helps!

I just found your site via Pinterest. I have dozens of oak, maple and pine logs I have been wanting to make into tables. First I checked with IKEA and the Marius stool available and now only $4.99…My only question is this: What is the width (end to end across the top of the table) of the log you used? I know it is 5 inches thick. But I would like to know this other dimension.